


A Hero's Journey

by SentientSliceofToast



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, More characters to come, also this is one of those fics that i wanted to read and had to write, comments make me VERY happy, or at least that's part of it, this is for an au where cooking cat adopts mu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29358123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SentientSliceofToast/pseuds/SentientSliceofToast
Summary: When a heist goes badly wrong, Mustache Girl ends up alone and vulnerable. Cooking Cat, however, has a plan. Mu isn't exactly sure if she's happy about this.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 12





	1. Cannons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> angst :)

Mustache Girl leaps into the air, grasps the railing with her right hand, and heaves herself up. Then, wasting no time, she melts into the shadows. She has to hide so much more now, and it stinks. It’s all those kids’ fault, too.

Meh, Mu doesn’t have time to waste on hating them. She’s got a party to crash and won’t have anything like this chance in a while.

Stealing a glance around, she smiles in satisfaction. Not a goon in sight. Taking a deep breath, she sidles to the cannon and stares at it for a few moments, trying hard to ignore the dread building up in her chest. Raising a hand to the hole on the left side of her head, Mu flinches.

After _that_ accident, she’d never rushed the cannon’s mechanisms again. Even more reason to hate the Mafia, of course. Had they never installed those stupid things, maybe she’d still have two ears.

Well, no more stalling. The cannon is the only way up there – barring the stairs, of course, but attempting to take those in her current circumstances would be suicide – so there’s no way around it.

She lights the fuse, and in a few moments, Mu’s nestled snugly into the barrel, curling up tight. The next thirty seconds are pure agony.

She’s done this before. It’ll be okay.

_She’s done this before. It’ll be okay_.

Time crawls along at an excruciatingly sluggish pace, not caring for Mu’s shaking. The only thing she can hear is her hot breath as it rebounds against the hard metal and moistens her face. It takes every inch of her willpower not to leap out, not to get away from the thing that killed _everyone and everything she_ -

_Boom_.

The pressure is near unbearable. Her ears pop and her eyes bulge, _her head is going to split in two, she can’t breathe, she’s going to die_ -

Mu uncurls in midair, landing gently in front of the building with all the skill of a cat. In an instant, she shoots forward, swinging her fist around to send a Mafia staggering back and clutching at his stomach. Then a kick, square in another goon’s shins, and a leap, to dive down and barrel over the third Mafia like a bowling pin.

Later, after a minute or two of much the same thing, she saunters towards the door, not wasting an opportunity to spin around and blow a raspberry at the one Mafia in the entire heap who’s still somewhat conscious.

_Okay._ She made it. Mu heaves a determined sigh, glaring up at the display that adorns the restaurant’s entrance.

It wasn’t always a restaurant. Those Mafia are defiling _her_ town’s hall. She remembers the days she’d spent there, dashing around the wide, shiny, planked floor ~~and probably destroying some stuff~~ with her many cousins. It was nice, being able to visit whenever. Props of being related to the mayor.

She smiles at the memory. Then, reality hits her like a brick wall, and the expression slides off pathetically. It never had stayed on for long.

_Now_ her home is a sorry excuse for a restaurant, and those Mafia had even had the nerve to claim the base’s design.

Her hand reaches for the yellow coin hanging from her neck, and her eyes narrow grimly. They’ll regret it.

_Oh_ , they’ll regret it.

After all, she thinks, reaching into her bag and pulling out a glowing hourglass. Those alien kids were “kind” (yeah, right) enough to leave her one of these.

Well, she’ll certainly put it to good use.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's so much more to come, because I'm 110% sure I'm never going to leave this alone. This uses a particular headcanon of mine where Mu lost an ear. To me, it makes sense that she'd be scared of the cannons in Mafia Town, because it said ingame that the Mafia used the former inhabitants of Mafia Town, (formerly called Mustache Town, in my opinion) excluding Mustache Girl and that one old man who I will definitely not use as an angsty plot device later, as cannonballs. Poor traumatized baby.  
> I have more stuff about this AU on my Tumblr: https://sentientsliceoftoast.tumblr.com/


	2. Nihilism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's ridiculous, but the Badge Seller really did like those children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it weird that I wrote two chapters in one day? I'm kind of in an AHIT fever. Whatever the case, here you go.

The girl may think she’s hiding, but Moonjumper can see everything.

They watch her pull out that hourglass; a gift from the children she attacked so mercilessly, and chuckle quietly to themselves. Such a sorry little child.

Now she’s entering that hellhole the inhabitants of this town call their “restaurant”. Knowing her, of course, she wants to attack them. Sabotage their every move, no matter how trivial. It’s ridiculously naïve. What does she hope to accomplish by painting profanities on every other wall? What does she hope to accomplish by beating bloody every Mafia she sees? It won’t bring her dead family back.

Then again, that’s not the only thing she wants, is it? She wants _revenge_. Despite everything, she’s still fallen into the trap _every_ pathetic creature on this planet has triggered.

Ah, too bad. It’s just how mortals are.

Moonjumper gathers their body parts together again, snatching their arm away from the hole it was making a desperate break to, and disappears with a _pop_. They intend to follow the child; mostly for amusement, of course, as their existence _does_ get a little boring, sometimes, but also for something else.

Foolish as it is, Moonjumper had, curse the very idea, rather _enjoyed_ the company of those alien children. (Wicked, wicked emotions, tugging their victim in through the most obscure ways. Moonjumper’s become their victim yet again.) 

In a few decades or so, they’ll regret it bitterly, of course, as they did the last fiasco, but for now, Moonjumper intends to enjoy themselves. Maybe procure some _vengeance_ for those children.

Yes. Revenge.

They remember when the mustached child had stolen those hourglasses. They remember laughing at the planet’s upset inhabitants as their world dissolved around them. They remember watching with amusement as the girl declared her verdict on every Tom, Dick and Harry that came her way, little realizing that her dictatorship was _so_ futile. They remember how the children had rushed in, yelling incoherent accusations at their former best friend.

All that had merely been good fun to Moonjumper, until the child had gathered up her stolen goods and actually _put up a fight_. Then they’d watched the children suffer for hours on end, fighting back against the seemingly impossible odds while the entire world looked on.

Of course, _then_ everyone had sided with them. When everything was at stake, and the children were the planet’s only hope, _then_ the mortals had declared their undying friendship.

In the end, of course, the mustached child had been defeated. Then the children had boarded their spaceship and set their course for home.

They had certainly been going home, but they had also been _fleeing_.

The entire thing was a hurried departure from a hostile world that held no love for them. They’d come with innocence, and received only cruelty.

And _that_ is why Moonjumper is angry.

Their goal is simple. Pay the mortals back _double_ , starting with the mustached child.

Moonjumper’s chance comes when Mustache Girl’s heist is ruined by the cat who lives in the rafters.

It’s funny, really. Such a carefully constructed plan destroyed by _one_ variable. Like every plan, of course.

Mustache Girl had sauntered in, expecting to be unhindered. _Then_ it had happened.

“Watch out, everybody, _someone_ just snuck in.”

Moonjumper can guess that the cat and the child won’t be on friendly terms after this.

As always, Mustache Girl had turned tail and run, and _would_ have triumphed, had Moonjumper not intervened.

It had only taken an outstretched staff – such a drastic move for someone like them – to wreck all her chances. In an instant, the Mafia had set on her, dragging her up by the cape and, well, Moonjumper hadn't stayed to watch. Their mission had succeeded. Oh, and they were also desperate to get away from the insufferable smell which had permeated the whole building.

As they materialize on the beach, Moonjumper realizes with a chuckle that their “friendship” with the mustached child is officially over. Before, they’d helped her, in small ways, more out of pity than anything.

How the tables had turned.

Not that they’d needed her, of course. Companionship, is, as a whole, rather overrated. Especially when one is immortal, and has to watch all their “friends” turn to dust before their eyes.

So, Moonjumper leaves that part of their existence behind with only a simple shrug, and moves on to the next, carrying with them all their newfound wisdom and a small, ever dying loneliness, coupled with the hopeless wish that someone could see as they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's done. This, once again, uses quite a few headcanons of mine, the most prominent one being that Moonjumper is the Badge Seller. I definitely won't milk that plot point. Definitely not. Here, the Badge Seller is very OOC, because we never got any info about their backstory ingame. I had to make something about them, though, because I LOVE their design.  
> Once again, I post more junk about this stuff on https://sentientsliceoftoast.tumblr.com/


	3. Rift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In an attempt to grab back her Time Piece from the Mafia, Mustache Girl gets more than she's bargained for. Oh, and Cooking Cat gets a healthy does of guilt feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I'm a little late on updating. Life™ is a thing. I'll try my best to keep updates constant, but, yeah. You get the idea.

Mustache Girl’s howl of rage is earsplitting, and everyone in the dining room flinches.

“YOU TRAITOR,” she screams, even though the Badge Seller has since teleported away. “I’LL RIP YOU IN HALF WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU- OW, GET THE PECK OFF ME-” 

“Mustached menace needs to _get lost_!”

Mu worms around and kicks the offending Mafia in the shin, causing him to leap back with a yowl of pain. The other goons, indignant, redouble their attacks, but she wriggles skillfully out of their combined grasp. Okay, so she’s in a mess. Good thing she has an easy solution. She reaches for her bag, intending to pull out her Time Piece and whoop their asses. (I can _swear_ , mom, I'm _thirteen_ )

It’s not there. Her bag isn’t there. Mu whirls back around, glancing furiously from side to side. She _can’t_ lose that.

That Time Piece is the only thing she has.

Unfortunately, the odds are overwhelmingly against her. The restaurant’s owners advance menacingly, muttering angry threats and cracking their knuckles. But she _needs_ that bag-

She skids out of the way as one of them leaps at her, realizing with despair that she needs to find it soon.

“Whichever one of you took it,” she threatens, diving between their legs and weaving her way back to the center of the room. “I’ll make you _pay_.”

“Come back here!”

“Thought Mafia told you to _get lost_.”

Mu doesn’t have time to listen to their cliché dialogue, so she punches them instead. _Where is that pecking bag-_

Finally, she spots it, in the clutches of the Mafia goon who works at the bar. He’s glancing at it in bewilderment. It’s open.

“GIVE THAT BACK, YOU PECKING THEIF!” she roars, charging towards him. He stands there staring stupidly at her, frozen in terror. Good thing those Mafia idiots are scared of her.

Just before she reaches him, though, another Mafia snatches the bag out of his hand. Mustache Girl collides with the barman too late, and they both hit the ground. She wastes no time in regaining her feet, but the damage is done.

“This… this is magical hourglass!” the Mafia says, cradling the glowing object in his huge fist while the bag lays discarded on the ground, the rest of its contents spilled out over the floor. The other Mafia stare in amazement.

“Oh really?” Mu screeches. “How’d you guess?”

In her frustration and panic, she uses an old tactic that involves assaulting the victim’s knees, which would have been perfectly fine, had she not forgotten about what he was holding. He lands face down on the tile, and the Time Piece collides with Mustache Girl's exposed head, smashing into a mess of glass and blue light.

Peck.

********************

Whatever it is, the Mafia goons don’t like it.

“Call boss.”

“No. Call goofy science Mafia, he will know. Remember when he told Mafia about the aliens?”

“Call boss _and_ goofy science Mafia.”

“Don’t _touch_ that!”

Cooking Cat leaps down from the rafters, _not_ landing on her feet. Dang, she’s getting old.

“Have you been here the whole time, Cat that Cooks?” one Mafia asks, and she, who had just witnessed the whole fight with some concern, nods, stepping forward with a raised eyebrow. It had been interesting enough, but nothing to this. She doesn’t even know what it is.

The _Time Piece_ did this?

After a moment of staring, she remembers. There had been something just like this in the alien kids’ art gallery. (they’d told her not to touch it – something about a “Time Rift”. It sure had _sounded_ dangerous.)

Suddenly, she hears a yowl of fear, and turns around to see a Mafia pointing at the bar. It’s empty.

“B-Benito!” he stutters. “H-he’s gone!”

There’s a collective shudder, followed by another shriek, this time from the entryway. It’s the goofy science Mafia, holding a velvet cushion. The jarred Mafia boss ( _how_?) is sitting on it.

“Ghosts!” he yells, staring at the floating orb. “Spirits! The Devil!”

“Get rid of it, Enzo,” the boss orders irritably, sounding a little unnerved himself. Enzo isn’t listening to him.

“Mafia heard the rumors,” he whimpers. “Mafia _knew_. The apocalypse, Mafia says! The apocalypse!”

Cooking Cat rolls her eyes, but doesn’t interrupt. It’s probably better that they stay away from it, anyway. Turning to the Rift, she frowns. Benito’s gone. Along with the mustached child, who’s nowhere to be seen. Could they be… _inside_ the Rift?

The realization hits her that if those two are _dead_ , it’s her fault. It’s her fault for giving the kid away.

She just killed both a man and a little girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goofy Science Mafia is a conspiracy theorist, and no one will take that away from me. Also, ooh, cliffhanger!  
> 


End file.
